In The Past
by XxPhoenix BladexX
Summary: *Complete* What if the reason why Squall became so cold was more than just Ellone leaving him? The gang have recovered their childhood memory but maybe they left out a very important part of it......*Chibi Squinoa!!!*
1. A newcomer

Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: To all who are reading this: I love ya!! Thanx for even bothering to click on my fic!  
  
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Prologue  
  
The wind was howling and a storm was brewing.  
  
A darked and long hair lady could be seen speaking to a man in a Galbadian uniform in front of a stone orphanage.  
  
"Please take care of my child…I've gotta go now!" the man said, his words spoken in a hurry.  
  
"But Sir…your child…what about you wife?" the lady questioned.  
  
"…She's…she's dead…I wasn't with her when she passed away last year…that is my only regret. Please help me take care of my child. I've got a war to fight and at least if I die, I'll die in peace knowing my child is in safe hands." He looked at his child who looked back at him with round innocent eyes, unaware of what's going on.  
  
The man bent down and hugged his kid. "I'll always love you my baby…" he whispered.  
  
He picked himself up and looked at the lady, "I begged of you once again to take good care of my child…I'll…I'll take my leave now..."  
  
"Rest assure…your child is in good hands Sir."  
  
"I'll be back if I do survive."  
  
"I wish you the best of luck in your battle Mr…" The lady then remembered that she didn't even know his name!  
  
"Caraway…Richard Caraway and my daughter's name is Rinoa."  
  
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A/N: Chapter 1 will be in as soon as I finished it. Please read and review my other fic which I had uploaded recently. Thanks a lot for reading this! Review, review, review pls!! 


	2. Meeting new friends

Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft  
  
A/n: Thanks for the reviews I really appreciated it! The gang in this fic are aged 4 or 5.  
  
Once again, thank you all that have reviewed: The first anonymous reviewer, Rinoa41269(Are ya gonna update your fic now? (), Lionheart, Heavenz Little Angel, Athena88, Sakaki22, Suns Golden Ray, silenced-and-blinded and PERSON37!!  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
"Everyone, meet Rinoa. Rinoa, these are your new friends that I was telling you about." Edea said gently to the little girl.  
  
"Hi." Rinoa said shyly.  
  
The others started introducing themselves.  
  
"I'm Selphie. Do you like to play with dolls?" asked a bubbly little brunette.  
  
Rinoa nodded. "Name's Kinneas. Irvine Kinneas. You can call me Irv or Irvy. I love ta ride'don chocobos during ma spare time an-" started a cowboy wannabe in a fake accent.  
  
"Yah yah yah…I don't think she wanna listen to your boring life." interrupted a blonde boy. "My name is Seifer and I'm a sorceress' knight. Still looking for a sorceress though." He bends down and kisses Rinoa's hand (A/n: Were you expecting Irvine to do that?), "Will you be my sorceress?"  
  
Rinoa blushed in reply.  
  
"Now, let me introduce to you my slave. Hmm…where is he? Leonhart?" Seifer called out.  
  
An older girl with short brown hair stepped out and lightly whacked Seifer's head. "For the last time, stop bullying him!" She turned her attention to Rinoa and smiled, "Hi there, I'm Ellone and this is Squall." She said as she pointed to the boy beside her.  
  
Rinoa gazed into Squall eyes. Something about the boy attracted her. (Maybe it's his eyes or his half smiling face) she thought.  
  
Squall returned her gaze as he clung on Ellone's skirt.  
  
Rinoa broke out of her daze as a new voice spoke up.  
  
"I'm Quistis and that boy over there is Zell Dincht." introduced another older girl.  
  
"Yulp, mime Fell dingt." A boy sitted in the corner said as he stuffed his face with cookies.  
  
Rinoa giggles to herself, "Nice meeting all of you!"  
  
"C'mon, let me show you my doll collection." Selphie grabbed Rinoa's hand and pulled her to the toy room.  
  
Rinoa quickly stole a glance at Squall before she let Selphie guide her out.  
  
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"Sis, who was that girl?" Squall asked curiously as he played with his stuffed lion.  
  
"Were you listening when matron was speaking? That girl's name is Rinoa. She's new here and she seems like a nice person. Be nice to her okay?" said Ellone.  
  
"Okay." Squall mumbled. (Wow…she looks like an angel) he thought.  
  
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"Yippiee!! Woohoo!!" Irvine exclaimed as he rode on his rocking chocobo.  
  
"I thought he meant that he liked to ride on REAL chocobos." Rinoa whispered to Selphie.  
  
"He's a real show off…but not half as bad as Seifer!"  
  
The two girls giggled among themselves but were cut off by a yell.  
  
"Monsters! I see monsters!"  
  
Seifer could be seen as he ran past the toys room chasing after Zell and Quistis with a toy gunblade, yelling 'monsters'.  
  
The trio (referring to Selphie, Rinoa and Irvine) stopped what they were doing for a second and popped their heads out of the toy room.  
  
"Seifer what do you think you are doing?" asked Edea fiercely.  
  
"Aww…matron…Zellie and Quisty here were just playing 'Kill The Monsters' with me."  
  
answered a grinning Seifer.  
  
"You stoopid lying little Torama!" Zell cried.  
  
"Well, Toramas aren't exactly little. I've read somewhere that it can actually grow up t-" Quistis started.  
  
"I don't wanna hear it!" Zell stomped off.  
  
The blonde averted her attention to Edea, "Anyway, Seifer WAS bullying me and Zell and if you'll excuse me, I will go look for the others who would PLAY with me and not hit me with a toy!" With that, she spun on her heels and walked towards the toys room.  
  
The three inquisitive kids quickly got back to their previous positions and pretended they were playing all along.  
  
"No Choco Billy's famous cookies for you tonight Seifer!" Edea declared before walking out, leaving Seifer in the room.  
  
"Aww man…you guys are no fun." He mumbled to himself.  
  
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A/N: Sorry, I know this chapter is kinda boring but I've really got no idea for the start. With the number of school projects piling up, the updating of this fic was slower than I planned. Just the stressful life of a thirteen year old! Anyway, pls review everyone and pls contribute any ideas you may have. Thanks! 


	3. Start of a beautiful friendship?

Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
(Wow, matron sure can cook really well!) Rinoa thought as she left the dinner table.  
  
She didn't really know what to do next. Quistis and a few others had gone with Mr. Kramer to Winhill to pick up some supplies or some stuff leaving only her, Squall, Ellone, Seifer and matron at the orphanage.  
  
She soon found her legs carrying her towards the beach. An image of her mother popped into her mind.  
  
Rinoa fondly remembered how her mother used to take her for evening strolls down the beach. (I really miss her…) Rinoa thought sadly.  
  
A splash could be heard as a rock hit the sea.  
  
Rinoa looked up to see Squall throwing rocks into the water. She had been trying to grab that boy's attention for the past few days since she arrived.  
  
The boy seemed to have noticed her as he hurried away after taking a glance in her direction.  
  
"Hey, wait up!" Rinoa called out.  
  
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"Hey, wait up!" Squall heard the girl yell.  
  
His heart thumped. He didn't know why he felt so nervous around her. All he wanted was to get away from her at that point of time.  
  
He could hear her footsteps closing in.  
  
Squall broke into a run as he made his way to his hiding spot – a cave at the end of the beach which was well hidden up by the nearby rocks and bushes.  
  
"Wait for me!"  
  
(Will this girl ever give up?) Squall thought.  
  
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(Am I that terrifying? Why is he running away from me?)  
  
Determined for an answer, Rinoa started chasing after Squall.  
  
She saw him disappeared behind some trees and lost sight of him. She hesitated for a second but decided to get it over and done with.  
  
Rinoa pushed herself past the bushes. Looking up, she spotted a cave.  
  
"That's the only place he could have gone…" Rinoa whispered to no one in particular.  
  
Grasping the ring on her necklace for luck, Rinoa made her way to the cave.  
  
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(Phew, finally lost her.) Squall let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Soft and slow footsteps were heard.  
  
(Or not…) Squall added.  
  
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(Brr…It's so cold here…)  
  
Rinoa hugged herself as her shaky legs carried her further into the cave.  
  
A wet and slimy object landed on her shoulder.  
  
Rinoa slowly turned her head to see…  
  
A BIG FAT BABY CATCHIPILLAR!!  
  
"AAHH!!! Get it off me!! Get it off me!!" Rinoa shrieked as she started jumping around, in a helpless attempt to get the disgusting bug off.  
  
Squall jumped out of his hiding spot and carefully picked the little creature off the frantic girl. He flung it away without much hesitation.  
  
"You okay now?" Squall asked.  
  
"Of course, now that you are here!" Rinoa answered immediately.  
  
Squall blushed at her comment.  
  
Rinoa didn't know what was wrong with her answer but decided to brush the matter aside.  
  
"So, why did you run away from me just now?"  
  
"I…um…I just wanted to be alone." Squall answered hastily.  
  
"Oh…" Rinoa was silent for a second before she continued. "Do you want me to leave?"  
  
"NO! I mean, now that you're here, you might as well stay, right?"  
  
"I guess…"  
  
Silence filled the atmosphere again.  
  
A shiny object shimmered in the dark.  
  
Squall looked at it and asked, "Where did you get that ring from?"  
  
Rinoa brought it up to her face and gazed at it for a while before answering, "It was from my mother…before she passed away last year…"  
  
"Oh…" Squall paused, "Hey, I've got a ring too! It has a lion on it! Got it from father…"  
  
"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked gently, sensing that the boy had hit an emotional subject.  
  
"Nothing…you know, I think we should better get back before the others get worried."  
  
"…Okay…" Rinoa mumbled, a tint of disappointment in her voice.  
  
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"Where have you guys been?"  
  
"Sorry Sis. Me and Rinoa were just talking at the beach." Squall yawned. "I'm sleepy, I'm gonna go sleep now. Goodnight Sis, goodnight Rinoa." With that, he slowly dragged himself to bed.  
  
Ellone turned to Rinoa, "You two were talking? Wow…Squall hardly opens up to anyone except me or matron."  
  
Rinoa smiled, "Guess you could just add me to the list."  
  
The two girls made their way back to the girls' room and chatted for almost the whole night. Besides, they were disturbing no one else since the group that went to Winhill was spending the night there.  
  
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A/N: Just thought it'll be nice to dedicate a chapter to the perfect love between Squall and Rinoa!! (Hmm…actually this fic would mostly revolve around Squall and Rinoa…) Heh, anyway, thank you all who have reviewed. I really love you guys!! Pls read my other fic 'The Performance' which is nearing completion. Thanx!! 


	4. Gone...

Disclaimer: Me no own FF8. Squaresoft own FFVIII.  
  
A/N: Thanx for reviewing the last chapter Sakaki22, Athena88, Lionheart, Hiasha, Fairykun, Rinoa41269 and angel-hart.  
  
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1 Chapter 3  
  
*The next morning*  
  
"Sis! Sis! Where are you?"  
  
Edea looked at the boy sadly and spoke softly, "I'm sorry Squall but she isn't gonna come back…"  
  
"Sis…"  
  
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Rinoa was woke up and realized she was the only person in the room.  
  
She quietly stepped out to hear soft sniffs.  
  
From the distance, she could see two figures – a tall lady comforting a small figure whom she quickly distinguish as Edea and Squall since Seifer could be heard snoring from the next room.  
  
She crept out and hid behind the wall, eavesdropping on their conversation.  
  
"-uall but she isn't gonna come back…"  
  
"Sis…"  
  
(Ellone is gone?)  
  
"I wanna wait here for sis! I know she'll return!"  
  
Edea sighed, "…Ok…" The dark haired lady walked back into her little home and caught a little girl trying to hide in the corner of the empty room.  
  
"What are you trying to do, my dear girl?"  
  
"Um…er…ah…I just got up!" Rinoa exclaimed.  
  
"So, you were listening in on our conversation, weren't you?" Edea said, testing her honesty.  
  
"Yeah…." The raven-haired four year old muttered as she drew imaginary circles with her foot. "Is 'she' really gone?"  
  
"Yes…try not to bring this subject up in front of Squall, ok? I know that you're the only other person he mixes with, besides Ellone and I."  
  
Rinoa nodded.  
  
"We're back!" a familiar voice rang out.  
  
"Welcome home dear and my little ones!"  
  
"Hi guys." Rinoa greeted.  
  
"You up so early?" Quistis asked with a warm smile.  
  
"Yup!" Rinoa smiled back.  
  
"Hey that big bully isn't up yet right?" Zell asked whispering.  
  
Rinoa shook her head.  
  
"Heh, are you really such a chicken like Seifer said so?" Irvine mocked.  
  
Zell ignored him and continued, "Good, hehe then I can go blow up his bed while he's sleeping with the fireworks I bought from Winhill!"  
  
"Is that the main reason for pestering Mr. Kramer to buy them for you?" asked Selphie.  
  
Zell nodded, "What else would I need them for?"  
  
"Gee…I don't know…maybe to set off fireworks?!"  
  
The blonde boy marched to the boys' room with the fireworks in hand.  
  
The others except Rinoa followed him, hoping to catch a good show. The two adults were conversing, unaware of what the kids were up to.  
  
"Did you see Squall outside when you came in?" Edea asked her husband.  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"Ellone is gone. The ship arrived today."  
  
" *Sigh* I knew this was bound to happen…"  
  
"Squall said he'd wait outside for her to return. Don't tell me he went into the forest to look for her! There are mons-"  
  
*KA BOOM*  
  
"MAATRRROONNN!!"  
  
"What did those kids do now?"  
  
The couple quickly made their way to the boys' room.  
  
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(Squall's missing? Where could he have gone? He wouldn't be that stupid to run into the fores- the cave! I bet he's there!)  
  
Rinoa quickly made her way to the cave. From the footprints imprinted on the smooth sand, the little girl let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her good friend was there.  
  
"Squall?"  
  
A small figure could be seen cradling himself as he tried to stop the tears flowing down cheek.  
  
"Squall…" Rinoa racked her brains, trying to think of something to say. She didn't know how to comfort a boy who had just lost his only family…(Come to think of it, I've got no family too…No! Daddy said he'd be back! I know he will!)  
  
"What do you want?" Squall managed to say between sniffs.  
  
Rinoa sat down beside him.  
  
"I…I don't know…just thought you might want someone to be here for you…"  
  
"Do you think she'll be back?"  
  
"I don't know…" The young girl replied again.  
  
Squall fell silent, feeling so lost as if he was falling down a dark bottomless pit with no one there to save him. He faced Rinoa who was lost in thought. (Why is she so nice? The others wouldn't care if I got lost! Why did she come to look for me? She's like an…angel…)  
  
"Squall…" Rinoa spoke up, breaking the silence, "I think we should get back…matron was really worried for you just now."  
  
Squall nodded and followed her lead back to the orphanage.  
  
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A/n: Yeah! Another chapter completed! I'm making this up as I go along so to anyone who may have some ideas for this fic, pls include it in your review or email me! Thanx! Reviews pls! 


	5. End of friendship already?

Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft.  
  
A/n: Thank you all who reviewed! This chapter is dedicated to YOU!! Yes! You! The one reading this!  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
"OOWWWWWWIIIEEEE!!! MAAATTWWOONN!!!!"  
  
A dark haired lady came running into the room. "What is it, Zell?" she asked gently.  
  
"Seifer, *sniff* whacked me wif his *sniff* toy gunblade again!"  
  
"Now, you better have a good explanation for that, boy!" Edea said sternly.  
  
"Cry baby was messing around with my toys again, plus he blew up my bed the last time! And I'm NOT A BOY!" Seifer snapped.  
  
"Yeah, he's a girl actually." Zell muttered under his breath.  
  
"What did ya say?" Seifer growled.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Liar! You're just too chicken to tell me right at my face! Zellie is a chicken! Zellie is chicken! Bawk! Bawk!" Seifer started singing and making clucking noises around the house.  
  
"That's it!" Zell runs and jumps onto Seifer's back and starts pulling his hair.  
  
Now it was Seifer's turn to whine, "OWWWIIIEE!! MATTRROONN!!!  
  
Edea decided that she have had enough of their nonsense. "You two! To the corners now!"  
  
The boys groaned and walked towards a corner of the room. They bumped into each other and started another of their glaring competitions.  
  
"Separate corners!"  
  
The two obeyed her order and shifted their positions.  
  
"You know what you're suppose to do now, stay at your respective corners and reflect on your bad behavior and you better repent or no Choco Billy's famous cookies for you tonight, you boys hear me?!"  
  
(Argh, can't live without it again!) Seifer thought.  
  
"Yes matron." they answered dully.  
  
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"Aw shucks…I lost again! I dun wanna play no more!"  
  
"Irvy, don't be such a sore loser. Actually, you aren't that bad at Triple Triad. It's just that Quisty is a really great at it."  
  
"You think so Se'phie?" Irvine asked his best friend.  
  
"Of course she does!" Cid added, "Besides, Quistis has even learnt and mastered the "Plus" rule from me, so when you played against her with only the "Open" rule it was quite easy for her to win the game. Not bad at all for a five year old!"  
  
Quistis blushed at his compliments.  
  
"C'mon Irvy, I'll play with you instead!" said a four year old brunette.  
  
"Um…I lost all my cards to Quisty just now…"  
  
"Here, take them back." Quistis handed Irvine back his cards, seventeen in all.  
  
"Thanks Quisty! I know! You could play with Squall! He's quite good at cards too! Speaking of which, where is he?" questioned the cowboy.  
  
Cid spoked up again, "He's outside again…that poor boy…he'll never accept the fact that Ellone is gone. It's been three weeks…"  
  
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"Am I all alone?" Squall asked softly as he looked down on the grey floor and watch the tiny raindrops bounce off the surface.  
  
"No you're not! I'll always be here with you!" a voice answered from behind.  
  
The young boy spun around to see his friend standing behind.  
  
"Don't forget that you still have me, your best friend!" Rinoa said again as she held a warm smile.  
  
"…Whatever…"  
  
The girl's smile faltered.  
  
"Just leave me alone! It was so irritating to have you bugging me for the past few weeks! I just wanna be alone!"  
  
"…Fine…if that's what you want…" Rinoa said emotionlessly. She walked back into the house joining the others but not before she cast a glance at Squall.  
  
"I'm sorry Rinoa…I don't wanna be hurt again if you suddenly walk away from me…" Squall whispered to himself.  
  
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"Is this the Kramers' orphanage?" asked a soldier he knocked loudly on the door.  
  
The couple attended to the young man outside, "Yes it is." Edea answered.  
  
"There has been a sudden outbreak of monsters here in the Centra region. I would advise you not to leave this place unarmed. Though the monsters aren't strong ones, it still poses a threat to your children. Understood?"  
  
"O my, yes we understand." Cid replied.  
  
"Don't let your children step out of here and that includes this boy." The man said as he pointed to Squall who was standing in the rain as he listened to the adults' conversation.  
  
"Come here my boy, you won't want to catch a cold do you?" Edea gestured for the young boy to get into the house.  
  
"I'll take my leave now." With that, the soldier turned and walked out of view.  
  
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Squall walked past the two boys standing in the corner of the room and entered the toys room. A small smile crept onto his face as he spots his angel playing happily with Quistis and Selphie. He sighs as he remembered what happened earlier and leaves the room unnoticed.  
  
(Am I being selfish? I rejected her friendship because *I* didn't want to be hurt…)  
  
Squall tossed and turned on his bed trying to get to sleep as he ignored the loud munching of cookies that the other kids were having for supper in the kitchen.  
  
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A/n: Is this the end of Squall and Rinoa's friendship as kids? I don't think so…if it was, the story would have lost its plot! Heh…reviews pls!! Athena88, Rinoa41269, Hiasha, Sakaki22, Lionheart, PERSON37, Nique, Princess_Angel, thanks for reviewing!! 


	6. Harmless Games...

Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft  
  
A/n: Thanx for contributing ideas PERSON37 and Lionheart. This chapter is dedicated to both of you.  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
The sunlight shone through the window. Squall shield his eyes from the rays as he walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom.  
  
"Finally you're up! It's already past noon!"  
  
Squall turned his head to see Seifer approaching him.  
  
"Whadaya want?"  
  
"Gosh! Your breath stinks!" Seifer exclaimed as he covered his nose. "Just meet me and the others at the entrance after you brush you teeth! We're gonna go play and have an adventure in the forest! Matron and Mr. Kramer went out to settle some business in Estar and left Quistis in charge! Yeah! Now's the time when I can finally practice my gunblade skills!"  
  
(Isn't there a monster outbreak? Oh well.) Squall thought as he entered the bathroom.  
  
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"Is Squall coming with us?" Rinoa quietly asked.  
  
"Yup! He went to brush his teeth! If you see a monster just stay close to me okay? I'll finish it with a swipe!" Seifer motioned as he swung his gunblade.  
  
"For hyne's sake, your gunblade isn't even real!" Quistis commented. "And we girls can protect ourselves.Actually, I don't think we should be running about outside without Matron's consent.remember what she said about the sudden outbreak of monsters?"  
  
"Aww.you're such chicken. Maybe you're actually related to chicken wuss here!" Seifer mocked as he pointed to Zell.  
  
"Wad did ya call me?" Zell growled.  
  
"Knock it off!" The oldest girl commanded.  
  
"Can't wait to blow up the monsters with a bazooka! KA BOOM!" Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"Err Se'phie, you don't even have a bazooooka." Irvine started.  
  
"Aw Irvy, don't spoil the fun!"  
  
"Can we leave now?" Squall suddenly spoke up. No one had noticed that he was standing for quite sometime toying with a lighter in his hand.  
  
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*BOOM* Another thunder sounded causing Rinoa to jump a little. (Wow.it's surprising how the weather could change from a sunny afternoon to a dark and cold one so fast.hey the thunder has been going on for sometime.why isn't there rain?)  
  
"Hey don't be scared of the thunder! Just ignore it!" Rinoa looked up to see Seifer smiling at her. The young blonde walked towards the shivering girl, took off his trench coat (A/n: Yup, he had one even when he was young or at least he does in this fic!) and placed it over her. Rinoa smiled back at him and continued walking towards the forest beside him.  
  
The others looked at the two with their jaws hanging. It was shocking to see Seifer being NICE to someone. Squall felt annoyed. It didn't seem right to him to have Rinoa walking with Seifer. (She should be with me instead!.But I rejected her friendship.wait a minute.am I feeling jealous? No it can't be! Why should I feel jealous?!)  
  
While Squall was having a mind battle, the others started making their way to the forest.  
  
"Yo Squall! You coming?" Zell called out.  
  
Squall broke out of his trance and hurried to catch up with the gang.  
  
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"Let's play hide and seek!" Selphie bounced up and down.  
  
"No way! I came here to train!" Seifer waved his toy gunblade in the air.  
  
"But I wanna play hide and seek." Selphie bowed her head and said softly to herself.  
  
Rinoa placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder and turn her gaze towards Seifer, "Seifer.if you're gonna train, you will only train alone.what are WE suppose to do? But if we play hide and seek, we can play as a group! Let's take a vote. Who wants to play?" Everyone except Seifer and Squall, who couldn't be bothered with what's going on, raised their hand.  
  
"Guess the decision is clear." Rinoa stated.  
  
"Guess I have no choice my princess. Let's play! We'll run as fast as we can if we see monsters." Seifer smiled.  
  
"Tag you're IT!" He slapped the back of Zell's head as the others quickly ran to hide. Squall let out a yawn and stepped behind the nearest tree.  
  
"Aw shucks.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 ready or not here I come!" Zell yelled.  
  
The blonde boy walked quietly trying to catch his victims by surprise. He crept past the nearest tree and didn't even see Squall behind it as he walked further into the heart of the forest in search for the others.  
  
Squall let out another yawn and took the lighter out of his pocket. He gazed at the tiny flame that he flicked on and off. (Boy, is this gonna be another boring day.)  
  
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After about the 28th round of hide and seek, the tired kids slumped onto the ground in a circle.  
  
"I'm beat! Are we still gonna play some more?" Irvine asked breathlessly.  
  
"What if matron and Mr. Kramer are back? We'll be in deep shit!" Zell declared.  
  
"Hey! No foul language! But I do think we should head back. It's already almost sunset." Quistis added softly.  
  
"Aw c'mon guys just one more game of hide and seek? Pretty pretty please?" Selphie begged.  
  
"You can be pretty annoying you know?" Seifer commented.  
  
"Be nice!" Selphie stick out her tongue at the smirking boy.  
  
"I think it'll be okay to just have one more round.I mean we've already played for so long and dodged so many Jelleyes.I guess it's okay to play just one more time.but that's the last round then no more! K, Se'phie?" Rinoa asked smiling as the young brunette hopped up and down.  
  
"You're the best Rin!" Selphie declared as she threw her arms around her friend. "Let me be the seeker this round!" Selphie covered her eyes as she started counting. The others reluctantly run for a hiding place.  
  
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"Hey guys! I still can't find Rinny!" Selphie exclaimed with a worried look on her face.  
  
The others look up at their little friend as they absorbed the news. Selphie had found the five of them already but Rinoa was still lost.  
  
"I'll go look for her!" Squall and Seifer shouted at the same time.  
  
"You? Look for her? You'll most probably shriek and pee in your pants if you saw a monster." Seifer said as he eyed Squall up and down.  
  
Squall crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his left leg, "Speak for yourself."  
  
"What are you trying to say, huh?" Seifer pushed Squall back one step. Squall retaliated be shoving him back.  
  
"Hey hey hey! Knock it off!" Quistis stepped between the two boys to stop them from starting a fight.  
  
"Fine.besides I got better things to do than fight with some loser!" Seifer barked as he turned to walk off.  
  
"No!" Quistis decided, "You go back with us to the orphanage. Squall will stay to look for Rinoa. Matron and Mr. Kramer are definitely back by now and worried sick. We will return to tell them what has happened and ask for help."  
  
"No way! Why should I listen to you?" Seifer retorted.  
  
"Hey! Matron left Quisty in charge!!" Zell added.  
  
"That doesn't mean I must obey her!"  
  
"O Seifer!" Irvine called out.  
  
Seifer spun around to answer the irritating call, "Wha-" *POOF* He was cut off and fell unconscious as Irvine threw white powder at his face.  
  
"What did you do?" Quistis shrieked.  
  
"Relax. That was juz sleep power. While I was hiding just now, I saw a Grat and found this powder on the ground after it left." Irvine explained.  
  
"Heh, nice going!" Zell slapped the cowboy a high five. Selphie was still pacing up and down worriedly.  
  
Squall tapped his foot impatiently. "Can I go look for Rinoa now?" With that, he walked off without waiting for a reply.  
  
"Return to the orphanage as soon as you find Rin!" Quistis yelled as Squall made his way through the forests, running pasts trees and climbing over bushes.  
  
(Please be okay Rinoa.) He prayed silently.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: Just wondering, did Zell have spiky hair when he was young? As always, everyone pls review!  
  
Liquid Sky: Hey! Glad you reviewed!! Thanx so much!! Satin Phoenix: It's sad there's so many yaoi fics out there now. anyway, thanks for the review!! 


	7. Forest of Danger

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FF8 (Why do we hafta do these things?)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"RINOA! WHERE ARE YOU?"  
  
(Don't give up! Keep looking!) Squall kept those phrases repeated in his mind.  
  
"Squall?"  
  
The young boy quickly walks towards the owner of the sweet voice he just heard.  
  
"Squall!"  
  
"Rinoa! Are you alright? Where were you? Didn't you see Selphie just now? And where did you get that dog?" Squall shot all his questions at once.  
  
"Um.Squall, are you angry with me?" Rinoa asked quietly as she petted the little puppy in her arms.  
  
Squall felt his heart soften when he heard her angelic voice. (Angelic? Why do I always associate her with angels?! She's just an ordinary girl who's oblivious about the dangers of the world!)  
  
"No, why should I be angry? I don't care what happens to you!" Squall snapped as he crossed his arms and turned his back to the young raven hair girl who was tickling the brown puppy.  
  
Rinoa giggled, "You're so cute when you get angry!"  
  
Squall turned around and slowly walked towards Rinoa. He petted the puppy and asked softly, "So how did you get this puppy?"  
  
"When I was hiding, I saw this puppy. It probably saw me too and thought I was dangerous as it started running away from me. I chased after it of course, and saw that it had found a Jelleye, which looked like it was about to attack this poor thing. Then I threw a stone to distract the monster, grabbed the puppy and started running away. I've been sitting here with the puppy, waiting for Selphie to find me ever since then."  
  
The puppy licked Squall's palm making him smile and let out a soft laugh. "We better go back. Matron and the others are probably worried about us."  
  
*ROAR*  
  
"Ah!! What kinda monster is that? Jelleyes don't go ROAR!" Rinoa yelled over the loud growl.  
  
"I dunno! We better run for it!" Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand and broke into a run as she held the puppy close to her with her other arm.  
  
Suddenly, a Blitz jumped in front of them blocking their path as it let out another fierce roar. (A/n: Yup, the Blitz was a really terrifying monster to them. Remember, they're four not seventeen!)  
  
The duo wasted no time running in the opposite direction as fast as their tiny legs could.  
  
The Blitz lifted its weapon and brought it down onto a nearest tree causing it to break into two, missing Squall and Rinoa by a mere inch.  
  
It started chasing the kids, stopping only when it attempts to make a tree topple over them.  
  
"Squall, I'm getting tired!" Rinoa managed to say between deep breaths.  
  
Squall felt an object in his pocket and took it out. The lighter shone in his hands and he quickly fumbled to flick on a flame. Succeeding, he stopped to turn around and threw the lighter at the Blitz with his best shot.  
  
The Blitz was unaffected by the tiny fire and flung the lighter aside with its weapon. The lighter hit a toppled tree which in turn caught fire. The fire slowly spread to the closest tree, then to the next. Soon, the Blitz was encircled by dancing flames.  
  
"Yeah! Way to go Squall!" Rinoa cheered as the puppy in her arms started to yelp.  
  
Squall smiled but his smile soon disappeared as the fire continued to spread to the trees in their direction.  
  
"RUN!"  
  
The two of them soon found themselves sprinting again, trying to get out of the forest of dangers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*At the Orphanage*  
  
Five kids quietly crept into the stone orphanage.  
  
(Hope matron and Mr. Kramer are not back yet.) Selphie prayed.  
  
As soon as the kids entered the hall, they were greeted by:  
  
"WHERE HAVE YOU KIDS BEEN?? I THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE ALL EATEN BY ZOMBIFIED MOGS OR CRAZED CHOCOBOS!"  
  
"Relax, dear." Edea spoke gently to husband then changed her tone of voice, "Where were you all? I thought I told you not to step out of here! It's dangerous out there! Quistis! I left you in charge to make sure everyone obeys my words and I'm greatly disappointed with you. Explain."  
  
Quistis took a step forward nervously and started, "Um.We were bored.there was nothing to do.Seifer suggested going to play in the forest.and we played hide and seek.there wasn't many monsters.only Jelleyes that we easily avoided."  
  
"Where's Rinoa and Squall? And why are Zell and Irvine dragging a sleeping Seifer?" Edea questioned some more.  
  
"It's all mwy fault! *sniff* I wanted ta pway some more! I could not find Rinny and then *sniff* Seifer and Sqwall started fwighting and *sniff* and Irvine threw slewpin powder at Seifer *sniff* and then *sniff* Sqwall go look for Rin and we came back to get hwelp!" Selphie cried, her words muffled by her sobs.  
  
(Those two are in grave danger!) "Mr. Kramer and I will go look for them. Meanwhile, you all are to sit here without a word and repent on your misbehavior. No supper for you all tonight!" Edea stated as she made her way to the door.  
  
"What about Seifer? Doesn't he need to be punished too?" Zell asked.  
  
"He will get his share when he wakes up!" Cid replied.  
  
The couple quickly stepped out of the orphanage. From a distant, they could see a forest of fire. Edea felt as though her heart was ripped out knowing there was a good chance that her children might be there..  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: What do you think might happen Squall and Rinoa? They're definitely not dead! If they were, there'll be no FF8!! Heh, reviews pls!! Can any one think of a name for the cute little puppy? Cause the doggy ain't Angelo!! If you have any suitable names for the puppy, pls leave your suggestions in your review!! ^_^ Oh, and please check out my new fic Different Worlds - it's a love triangle involving the three main characters!! Thanx everybody!!  
  
Oh yeah, FF.Net just seems to have a problem with Word and 3 dots appears as a single dot. So pls ignore any possible errors. Hmm, it didn't seem to be a problem last time.  
  
Lionheart: Hiya!! Thanx for your review and thanks A LOT for your idea!! It gave me more ideas for the later chapters too!!^_~ Tiuna: Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement!! :) Athena88: Thanx for reviewing again!! Ooo I love these constant reviews!! ^_^ Pink_Cherry_Bloosom: Thanks for your review!! Do you by any chance happen to like Cardcaptor Sakura? :) PERSON37: Hey!! Thanks for your review again! Glad there is someone who would continue reading my fic!! ^_~ Rinoa41269: HIIII!! I guess this chapter has answered your question about their friendship!! Thanx sooo much for reviewing and I hope you'll continue your fics soon too!! ^_^ 


	8. Forest of Danger (Reposted and edited)

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FF8 (Why do we hafta do these things?)  
  
A/n: This chapter is being reposted as I've noticed that the previous time I uploaded it, it could hardly be accessed to, though a few viewers managed to get to it...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"RINOA! WHERE ARE YOU?"  
  
(Don't give up! Keep looking!) Squall kept those phrases repeated in his mind.  
  
"Squall?"  
  
The young boy quickly walks towards the owner of the sweet voice he just heard.  
  
"Squall!"  
  
"Rinoa! Are you alright? Where were you? Didn't you see Selphie just now? And where did you get that dog?" Squall shot all his questions at once.  
  
"Um...Squall, are you angry with me?" Rinoa asked quietly as she petted the little puppy in her arms.  
  
Squall felt his heart soften when he heard her angelic voice. (Angelic? Why do I always associate her with angels?! She's just an ordinary girl who's oblivious about the dangers of the world!)  
  
"No, why should I be angry? I don't care what happens to you!" Squall snapped as he crossed his arms and turned his back to the young girl who was tickling the brown puppy.  
  
Rinoa giggled, "You're so cute when you get angry!"  
  
Squall turned around and slowly walked towards Rinoa. He petted the puppy and asked softly, "So how did you get this puppy?"  
  
"When I was hiding, I saw this puppy. It probably saw me too and thought I was dangerous as it started running away from me. I chased after it of course, and saw that it had found a Jelleye, which looked like it was about to attack this poor thing. Then I threw a stone to distract the monster, grabbed the puppy and started running away. I've been sitting here with the puppy, waiting for Selphie to find me ever since then."  
  
The puppy licked Squall's palm making him smile and let out a soft laugh. "We better go back. Matron and the others are probably worried about us."  
  
*ROAR*  
  
"Ah!! What kinda monster is that? Jelleyes don't go ROAR!" Rinoa yelled over the loud growl.  
  
"I dunno! We better run for it!" Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand and broke into a run as she held the puppy close to her with her other arm.  
  
Suddenly, a Blitz jumped in front of them blocking their path as it let out another fierce roar. (A/n: Yup, the Blitz was a really terrifying monster to them. Remember, they're four not seventeen!)  
  
The duo wasted no time running in the opposite direction as fast as their tiny legs could.  
  
The Blitz lifted its weapon and brought it down onto a nearest tree causing it to break into two, missing Squall and Rinoa by a mere inch.  
  
It started chasing the kids, stopping only when it attempts to make a tree topple over them.  
  
"Squall, I'm getting tired!" Rinoa managed to say between deep breaths.  
  
Squall felt an object in his pocket and took it out. The lighter shone in his hands and he quickly fumbled to flick on a flame. Succeeding, he stopped to turn around and threw the lighter at the Blitz with his best shot.  
  
The Blitz was unaffected by the tiny fire and flung the lighter aside with its weapon. The lighter hit a toppled tree which in turn caught fire. The fire slowly spread to the closest tree, then to the next. Soon, the Blitz was encircled by dancing flames.  
  
"Yeah! Way to go Squall!" Rinoa cheered as the puppy in her arms started to yelp.  
  
Squall smiled but his smile soon disappeared as the fire continued to spread to the trees in their direction.  
  
"RUN!"  
  
The two of them soon found themselves sprinting again, trying to get out of the forest of dangers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*At the Orphanage*  
  
Five kids quietly crept into the stone orphanage.  
  
(Hope matron and Mr. Kramer are not back yet.) Selphie prayed.  
  
As soon as the kids entered the hall, they were greeted by:  
  
"WHERE HAVE YOU KIDS BEEN?? I THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE ALL EATEN BY ZOMBIFIED MOGS OR CRAZED CHOCOBOS!"  
  
"Relax, dear." Edea spoke gently to husband then changed her tone of voice, "Where were you all? I thought I told you not to step out of here! It's dangerous out there! Quistis! I left you in charge to make sure everyone obeys my words and I'm greatly disappointed with you. Explain."  
  
Quistis took a step forward nervously and started, "Um...We were bored.there was nothing to do...Seifer suggested going to play in the forest...and we played hide and seek...there wasn't many monsters...only Jelleyes that we easily avoided..."  
  
"Where's Rinoa and Squall? And why are Zell and Irvine dragging a sleeping Seifer?" Edea questioned some more.  
  
"It's all mwy fault! *sniff* I wanted ta pway some more! I could not find Rinny and then *sniff* Seifer and Sqwall started fwighting and *sniff* and Irvine threw slewpin powder at Seifer *sniff* and then *sniff* Sqwall go look for Rin and we came back to get hwelp!" Selphie cried, her words muffled by her sobs.  
  
(Those two are in grave danger!) "Mr. Kramer and I will go look for them. Meanwhile, you all are to sit here without a word and repent on your misbehavior. No supper for you all tonight!" Edea stated as she made her way to the door.  
  
"What about Seifer? Doesn't he need to be punished too?" Zell asked.  
  
"He will get his share when he wakes up!" Cid replied.  
  
The couple quickly stepped out of the orphanage. From a distant, they could see a forest of fire. Edea felt as though her heart was ripped out knowing there was a good chance that her children might be there...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: What do you think might happen Squall and Rinoa? They're definitely not dead! If they were, there'll be no FF8!! Heh, reviews pls!! Can any one think of a name for the cute little puppy? Cause the doggy ain't Angelo!! If you have any suitable names for the puppy, pls leave your suggestions in your review!! ^_^ Oh, and please check out my new fic Different Worlds - it's a love triangle involving the three main characters!! Thanx everybody!!  
  
Lionheart: Hiya!! Thanx for your review and thanks A LOT for your idea!! It gave me more ideas for the later chapters too!!^_~  
  
Tiuna: Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement!! :) Athena88: Thanx for reviewing again!! Ooo I love these constant reviews!! ^_^  
  
Pink_Cherry_Bloosom: Thanks for your review!! Do you by any chance happen to like Cardcaptor Sakura? :)  
  
PERSON37: Hey!! Thanks for your review again! Glad there is someone who would continue reading my fic!! ^_~  
  
Rinoa41269: HIIII!! I guess this chapter has answered your question about their friendship!! Thanx sooo much for reviewing and I hope you'll continue your fics soon too!! ^_^  
  
Exhile87: Yeah, I've noticed that fact too...but some say that Julia died when Rinoa was three while others say five...well, I just decided to go with the first choice since I remembered that when the kids were five, I think about two of them already attended garden...I'm not sure though, but anyways, thanx for reviewing!! ^_^ 


	9. Back...

Disclaimer: Too lazy to repeat this again...it's on the first few chapters.  
  
A/n: Damn, can't seem to get any bolded or italic words out...oh yeah, this chapter is dedicated to Exhile87 for being the 50th reviewer ^-^, and Rinoa41269 for giving me that great idea for the puppy's name!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Kweh! Kweh!"  
  
The constant sound resounded through Rinoa's head. Rinoa slowly opened her eyes trying to get used to the sunlight shining through the window. "Where am I?"  
  
"Oh good, you're up!" A chubby man wearing a yellowish green shirt and blue shorts walked into the wooden hut. "I found you laying near a forest this morning when I was taking the chocobos out for their morning walk. You're still a little dirty from the mud. Guess the heavy downpour last night didn't give you a good bath, huh?"  
  
"Who are you?" Rinoa asked, a little frightened of this jolly stranger.  
  
"Let me introduce myself, my name's Choco Billy and you're in my little hut in this chocobo forest! Oh, and that's my son over there! You can call him Chocoboy!" He said as he pointed to a cot, which was in the corner.  
  
Rinoa tiptoed to look at the little baby who was sleeping quietly and hugging a little tonberry stuff toy. "He's so cute!" the young girl giggled. 'Hmm...why do I have a feeling that something's missing...' Rinoa looked around and spotted a shelf of stuff toys with a little white stuffed lion placed in the middle. 'Squall!'  
  
"Excuse me sir, did you see a boy with brown hair? Oh, and a little puppy too?"  
  
"Oh, do you mean your friend, I think he said his name was Squall, yeah, he's outside with your puppy! What a good boy! He helped me feed the chicobos! Of course I rewarded him with some of my cookies!" Choco Billy chuckled.  
  
Rinoa raced out of the hut and was in frenzied delight to find Squall outside with the puppy, playing with the chicobos.  
  
"Mornin'" Squall said softly when he saw his friend.  
  
"Wow..." Rinoa looked at the beautiful sanctuary where the chocobos and chicobos were.  
  
"So, you enjoy the ambiance of the chocobo forests?" Choco Billy asked from behind, "Well, I'll be glad to let you know that there are seven chocobo forests around the world each possessing it's own significant beauty! My wife and siblings are taking care of the other forests and we switch our posts too to increase our affection level with each and every chocobo in every forest! You might meet me when you visit another forest too!"  
  
"Really?" The two children asked in unison.  
  
"Listen kids, I gotta get you back to your homes soon or your parents are gonna be really worried." Choco Billy said seriously.  
  
"Our parents are not with us sir..." Squall answered emotionlessly.  
  
"Um...we're staying at Matron, er, Ms. Edea's Orphanage." Rinoa said as she petted a chicobo.  
  
"Oh, that's nearby. C'mon you guys you gotta get home now!"  
  
"So soon?" Rinoa asked as she hugged a chicobo tightly as the poor thing struggled for air.  
  
"I would give you a chicobo if you were old enough to take care of it...who knows? Maybe we'll meet again when you guys are older and then I'll give you your very own chicobo! If I don't, my son will! I'll tell him all about you kids when he gets older! For now, just hop on!" Choco Billy got on a chocobo as he helped the two kids up and set them in front of him. The trio soon rode off on a single chocobo that carried them in the direction of home.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Edea, I'm sure there're safe. Somehow, I have a feeling that these kids are strong enough to survive any obstacles!" Cid tried his best to calm him wife who was breaking down. "You didn't even get any sleep last might..."  
  
"How in the world do you think I'll be able to sleep?! We've searched through the whole area after the rain had put out the fire and we didn't even see a cloth from them."  
  
"Matron..." Quistis popped her head into the couple's room, "Seifer and Irvine said that they see a huge chocobo coming!" The blonde ran off and rejoined her friends.  
  
"Oh hyne! What on earth is she talking about?" Edea wondered aloud.  
  
*knock knock*  
  
The couple restlessly made their way to the door and was surprised to see who they saw!  
  
"Matron!" Rinoa hugged and held onto Edea's leg while Squall mumbled something as he carried the puppy and walked in casually.  
  
"Thank you so much for bringing my children back! Could I kindly get to know your name?" Cid asked politely.  
  
The man gave a huge smile and said, "You can call me Choco Billy!"  
  
"Huh? Did someone say Choco Billy?" Seifer asked loudly from the living room.  
  
"Yeah! He's here!" Rinoa beamed.  
  
"AAHHH!!" Seifer raced to the door with the other kids, excluding Squall and Rinoa, close behind.  
  
"Sign my cookie box, please?" Selphie begged.  
  
"Hey, I got here first!" Seifer protested.  
  
"Okay kids, you'll all get your boxes signed!" The bubbly man proceeded to sign each box as Cid stood there to make sure that none of the kids were going to drive the man nuts. Seifer, Quistis and Selphie were shooting all sorts of questions about cookies while Zell and Irvine were trying to climb onto the chocobo.  
  
Edea walked into the living room where Squall and Rinoa were. "You kids got me really worried! Don't ever do that again, do you hear?" Edea bent down and hugged her children. "Yes matron!"  
  
"Where did you get that puppy?" Edea questioned. Rinoa started explaining everything.  
  
"So, can we keep it? I'll take care of it!" Rinoa begged.  
  
"I guess you may...what are you going to name it?"  
  
"Gee.I dunno.what do you think Squall?"  
  
"I dunno either!"  
  
"This is getting nowhere! Right now, go get a bath you two and then we'll all be ready for lunch!" Edea decided.  
  
The two headed for their respective bathrooms as Rinoa brought along the puppy for a good wash.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*After dinner*  
  
The kids were at the beach playing 'Murderer' as suggested by Seifer. Seifer was the murderer and he had to look for the others who were hiding and 'murder' them. Those 'murdered' would become 'murderers' too and the last person to be found would be the sole survivor a.k.a the winner of the game. Quite a lame game really. But what can you expect from a game made up by a 5 year old?  
  
Rinoa sat on a rock still trying to figure out an appropriate name for the puppy that Squall was playing with near the sea.  
  
"Boo!" Seifer shouted into Zell's ear as he crept behind the defenseless victim.  
  
"Aw shucks! Now I've gotta be a 'murderer' too!" Zell grumbled.  
  
"Hey! It's the rules!"  
  
The two blondes crept around and saw a cowboy hat sticking out of the bushes.  
  
'What an idiot! Doesn't even know how to hide!' Seifer thought.  
  
"Boo!" They both shouted loudly and pulled Irvine out.  
  
"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to think here!" Rinoa shouted.  
  
"Sooooorrry! But we're playing 'Murderer'!" Zell yelled back.  
  
'Argh, what's with all this 'Boo' stuff? Boo here and boo there, that's so boring! Hmm...' Rinoa felt an idea coming up.  
  
"Boo!" The three boys shouted even louder when they found Selphie.  
  
"That's it!" Rinoa exclaimed and rushed over to Squall.  
  
"What's up?" Squall asked, curious about Rinoa's sudden outburst.  
  
"Guess what Squall? Meet our new friend Boo!" Rinoa said happily as she picked the little puppy up and held it to his face.  
  
"Boo?!"  
  
"Yup! That's right!" Rinoa nodded.  
  
"Er...okay..."  
  
Rinoa cuddled the puppy as Squall just petted it. Boo wasn't just their new friend, it was the bond of their growing friendship.  
  
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A/n: Well, that's it for chapter 7, so sorry that it was kinda boring cause I didn't really know what to write and added anything that came into my mind. Thanks for reading it anyway and pls review everybody!! I'm planning to add just one more chapter and end with an epilogue. Whadaya think? Once again, thank you all who have read this! ^_^  
  
Pink Cherry Blossom: Yup, I agree, Sakura flowers sure are pretty!! Thanx for the whole list of names!! ^_~  
  
Lionheart: Heyz!! I'm gonna go watch Goldmember with my friends soon! Just watched the first two movies around last week...my sis had the DVD all along!! ^-^  
  
Rinoa41269: Haha, you said they should think of a silly name, huh? Was running through my DVDs the other day and I saw Monsters Inc.!! That's how the idea hit me!! Thanks for the review!!  
  
Exhile87: Oh, there's nothing wrong with the name. Just *didn't* want the doggy to be Angelo. By the way, is Angelo female or male? Cause' I've always thought that it's a guy's name and saw this guy on TV whose name was Angelo...but lotsa people say that Angelo's female!! *Scratches head* Now I'm confused!! And nope, they won't get gastric coz there's the super hero dudes who saved the world from time compression!! Yeah, I know I'm crazy...must be due to all that stress *mutters* evil school...  
  
NadiaZimbabwa: Thankies for reading this all the way and reviewing too!!  
  
Neoshipper: Thanx for reviewing and checking out my other fic!! You know I wouldn't be *that* mean to leave Squall and Rinoa in a burning forest, right? Right?? Anyway, thanx again!!  
  
Abby215: Thanx so much for reviewing!! I always have them talking like kids for a certain part and I would always drift off and then they start talking like 17 year olds!! Oh well...I'll just hafta keep working on that!!  
  
Angelfaced: Thanx soo much for reading and reviewing my fics!! Hehe, loved your suggestion!! ^_^ 


	10. Goodbye

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FF8  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"Boooooorring!" The young kid sighed. "Hey Rin, wanna play something?"  
  
"Sorry Seifer! Me, Squall and Boo are gonna play at the beach! Why doncha join us?" Rinoa beamed.  
  
Seifer shook his head, "Nah, think I'll pass."  
  
"Okay then!" Rinoa ran out to the beach.  
  
'Stupid Squall!' Seifer thought.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Go get that, Boo!" Squall shouted as he threw the stick as far as he could. The puppy made a quick dash for it and ran back with a record of 6 seconds.  
  
"This is getting boring! Let's do something else! I mean, we've been doing this for the past hour and besides, I think Boo is getting tired..." Rinoa said.  
  
Boo climbed up and buried its head in her arms.  
  
"Well, I-" Squall started.  
  
"Guys! It's dinnertime!" Quistis called out.  
  
"We'll be right there!" Rinoa answered. Boo yelped and jumped out of her arms. It took off to the other end of the beach.  
  
"Hey, Boo!" Squall shouted as Rinoa and him started chasing after the puppy. The puppy soon led them to a huge creature that was lying silently on the sandy beach.  
  
"What is that?" Rinoa whispered. It looked like a huge rock, a gigantic turtle.  
  
"I dunno." Squall approached the creature silently. It was uncertain whether the creature was breathing. Squall reach out to touch it. It moved slightly under its hard shell. Boo just stood in front of what looked like its face.  
  
"I-I think we should leave it alone..." Rinoa decided.  
  
As they turned to head back, they heard movements and Boo's sudden yelping. The kids spun around to see the puppy getting clawed by the creature!  
  
"Boo!" Rinoa cried and attempted to pull the puppy away from the creature's mouth as Squall held her back.  
  
The creature crushed the puppy in its mouth like a twig and returned into the sea. Rinoa let out her breath, realizing that she had been holding it in the whole time. Neither of them could believe what had just happened. Their little friend who was cuddling up in her arms could be gone in a split second.  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Rinoa broke down and cried.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Everyone ate their dinner and washed up in silence. Rinoa just sat there staring at her food. Edea looked at her with sympathy and said gently, "Rinoa dear, you need to eat..."  
  
"Boo needs to eat too..." Rinoa started softly.  
  
"Boo is gone! It needs no food!" Squall blew up suddenly and ran into his room.  
  
The other kids just looked at each other in confusion about Squall's outburst. "I'll go see what he's up to!" Seifer announced as he made his way into the room, knowing how much it would please Rinoa if her friend was alright.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Squall, why so sad? It's just a puppy..." Seifer said, trying his best to talk to Squall *nicely*.  
  
"It's not *just* a puppy." Squall mumbled.  
  
"Look, there's no need to be upset, it has to go one day, anyway!" Seifer continued, thinking he was saying the right thing.  
  
"Shut the hell up, Seifer!" Squall yelled as he threw a punch into Seifer's face.  
  
"Squall!"  
  
He looked up to see Rinoa glaring at him.  
  
"Seifer, you okay?" Rinoa asked him with concern. Seifer plainly nodded and shouted back at Squall, "You're a freak! Remind me never to be nice to you!"  
  
"But yo-" Squall started.  
  
"Why do you have to be so mean?" Rinoa asked softly as she walked out of the room with Seifer close behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Guys! Wake up!" Selphie whispered as she shook Rinoa and Quistis up.  
  
"What is it Selphy?" Quistis yawned. Rinoa looked at her clock and widen her eyes, "It's twelve midnight! Go back to sleep!"  
  
"C'mon! Let's go set off fireworks! Remember when Zell bought them from Winhill to blow up Seifer's bed? I stole some of it! Teehee!"  
  
"Meet you guys at the beach! I'll go wake the boys up!" Selphie exclaimed as she ran out of the room.  
  
Rinoa and Quistis sighed in disbelief as they slowly climbed out of their beds.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What if we get caught? We'll be in biiig trouble! I don't wanna get scolded again!" Zell whined as they walk down the stone steps to the beach.  
  
"OOO Crybaby Zell! Crybaby Zell!" Seifer taunted.  
  
"I'm not a crybaby!" Zell protested.  
  
"Let's just get going, okay?" Squall spoke up.  
  
"Who made you boss, huh?" Seifer retorted as he walked away.  
  
"What's with him?" Irvine said as he lifted one eyebrow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Finally, you guys are here!" Quistis exclaimed.  
  
Squall looked at Rinoa who was standing near the waters watching the waves sweep against her feet. 'Is she still thinking about...Boo?'  
  
"I'm gonna light it now!" Selphie announced, "1, 2, 3 and KA BOOM!"  
  
The kids watch the sky light up in different colors.  
  
"WOOOW!" They echoed in unison.  
  
"Let's spend the night here, k?" Selphie suggested.  
  
"I think we should get back soon!" Zell said.  
  
"I think so too, you know?" Quistis agreed.  
  
"Aww...you guys just hafta spoil the fun!" Selphie pouted. "Well, I'm staying here!" Selphie said as she crossed her arms.  
  
"Okay, 'night then!" Quistis said as she made her way back.  
  
"Whatever..." Squall walked off.  
  
"Good night, Selphy!" Rinoa yawned and followed the rest.  
  
"Guys? Hey c'mon!...Fine! Wait for me!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Next morning*  
  
"Zell, do you remember Mr. And Mrs. Dincht whom you've met last week?" Edea asked the young boy.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"They've come to take you to your new home!"  
  
Zell knew what that meant. They all had to leave one day...today was just *his* day. Besides the Dinchts were really nice people. "Must I really leave?" Zell asked as he looked up at Edea with his big round eyes.  
  
"I-I'll miss you very much, my dear." Edea bent down to hug him.  
  
"Be a good boy, k?" Cid patted the young boy. Zell nodded and looked at his friends. "Goodbye guys!" he waved.  
  
"Bye Zell!"  
  
"I'll miss you!"  
  
"Try not to be a crybaby, k?"  
  
Zell scowled at the last remark but soften his expression, "Bye guys." he said softly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I can't believe he's gone..." Selphie said softly.  
  
"Yeah, he was one of us..." Quistis added.  
  
"Hey, guys stop talking about him as though he's dead or something!" Irvine interrupted.  
  
*knock knock*  
  
Edea hurried to the door and opened it.  
  
"Mr. Caraway?!"  
  
"Yeah, how's my girl?" The man smiled at the thought of his daughter.  
  
"She's fine. Rinoa!" Edea called out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Rinoa!"  
  
The young raven haired girl looked up at the sound of her name.  
  
"You better go! Matron's calling you!" Quistis said. Rinoa lazily got up from her spot and dragged herself to Edea.  
  
"Guess who's here?" Edea smiled.  
  
"Daddy!" Rinoa threw her arms around her father who picked her up and hugged her tightly.  
  
"You've come to pick me up right, daddy?"  
  
By now, the rest of the gang had came out of their rooms when they heard Rinoa loudly exclaimed her father's arrival.  
  
Caraway nodded, "Do you want to say goodbye to your friends first?"  
  
Rinoa's smile was immediately replaced with a miserable face as she turned to her friends. Caraway gently set her down as she walked to her friends.  
  
"Bye guys, thanks for all the fun times..." she said softly as Quistis and Selphie hugged her.  
  
Irvine stood there silently wearing a sad smile.  
  
"We'll meet again one day, I promise!" Seifer smiled.  
  
"Uh huh!" Rinoa beamed. She looked over at the last person of the group who seemed to be spacing out.  
  
'What's she gonna say? What am *I* gonna say? The last we spoke I ended up as the mean baddie...' Squall thought.  
  
"Squall..." Rinoa's soft voice resounded through his head. "Friends forever?" Rinoa extended her hand.  
  
Squall slowly looked up to see her sweet smile, "Friends forever!" he took her hand and grinned. Rinoa reluctantly returned to her father's side as they left the orphanage. Squall watched his friend walk away till she disappeared behind the thick mist.  
  
"Friends forever..." Squall whispered those two words again.  
  
That was the last he had seen of Rinoa Heartilly...until 13 years later...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: Well...I guess that's the last chapter before the epilogue. It may seem a bit rushed as I was trying to squeeze everything into this chapter. Thank you all who have taken the time to read this. Hope you'll review!! ^_^  
  
Neoshipper: Thanx so much for reading this! *Sniff* I don't want it to end either...but then I could concentrate on my other fic! ^-^  
  
GeminiGirlz: Hey! Thanks for reading! I'll continue Different Worlds soon! ^_~ As soon as I'm done with the next chapter!  
  
Exhile87: Lol! A unisex dog! Great idea! Uh huh, I'm not really sure about the gastric juices stuff...but I do know that the reason why we get gastric is because the hydrochloric acid present in out stomachs would start to eat the walls of our stomach due to the lack of food to work on...oh well, let's just get over with them not eating supper, k? ^_^ Thanx for reviewing! Love ya! ^_~  
  
Lionheart: Heeeeeeeyyy!! Thanx for reading! Well, good luck with coping with your school life! First days are bad...really bad...but it'll be over before you know it! ^_~  
  
Dark Raion: You had a cat name Boo?! That's so cute! Well, thanx for reading this but they wouldn't be sharing a young friendship in the epilogue anymore! ^_~  
  
Pink Cherry Blossom: Thanks so much for reviewing. ^_^ Monsters Inc. is sooo cute, right? ^_~ 


	11. It Was All In The Past

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FF8.  
  
A/n: Well, this is the final chapter of In The Past...read on, guys!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Epilogue  
  
(Oh man, I'm gonna be late! Rinoa's gonna blow!) The 17 year old clothed in black leather thought as he rushed down the corridor of Balamb Garden.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Fine! He's late again! He such a meanie right, Angelo?" The raven hair girl looked at her silent companion.  
  
Angelo rubbed his ear against her leg. Rinoa giggled, "It seems like only yesterday when I found you along the streets of Timber. Sigh, you remind me of an old friend and I can't seem to remember who..."  
  
A flash appeared in her mind. "Boo!"  
  
Rinoa shook her head. 'What was that?' Angelo started barking sensing its owner's discomfort.  
  
"I'm okay, Angelo..." Rinoa said softly as she petted Angelo. It looked back at her with its chocolate brown eyes. 'Why does that seem so familiar...'  
  
"Rinoa!"  
  
The shout of her name brought Rinoa back to reality.  
  
"Sorry, I'm late!" Squall gasped for air.  
  
Rinoa's face lit up, "It's okay, better late than never! C'mon let's go!" She tugged his arm and pulled him along with her.  
  
Squall smiled, (How lucky am I to have her...it's like I've known her my whole life and all this time I was searching for her...maybe the GFs have taken something away from me again...)  
  
"Why are you standing there, grinning like a fool?" Rinoa questioned, her hands at her hip.  
  
"Nothing." And with a swift movement, Squall had his arms wrapped around her as he pulled her into a kiss.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark.  
  
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart.  
  
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain.  
  
Melodies of life--love's lost refrain.  
  
  
  
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.  
  
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.  
  
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?  
  
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.  
  
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.  
  
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.  
  
  
  
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.  
  
Adding up the layers of harmony.  
  
And so it goes, on and on.  
  
Melodies of life,  
  
To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond.  
  
  
  
So far and away, see the bird as it flies by.  
  
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.  
  
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.  
  
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings.  
  
  
  
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?  
  
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?  
  
  
  
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.  
  
Adding up the layers of harmony.  
  
And so it goes, on and on.  
  
Melodies of life,  
  
To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond.  
  
If I should leave this lonely world behind,  
  
Your voice will still remember our melody.  
  
Now I know we'll carry on.  
  
Melodies of life,  
  
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts.  
  
For as long as we remember.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: Well, this is the end of it. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this and please review one last time. Yeah, the song above is FF9's theme song - Melodies of Life. Thought it'll suit this fic.  
  
Special thanks to all who have reviewed this fic: The first anonymous reviewer, Rinoa41269, Lionheart, Heavenz Little Angel, Athena88, Sakaki22, Suns Golden Ray, Tidus' Lil Angel, PERSON37, Dark Raion, Hiasha, FairyKun, angel-hart, Sorcha Zell, SurferCQL21, Nique, Princess Angel, Satin Phoenix, LiquidSky, Sorceress Yuna, Pink Cherry Blossom, Exhile87, NadiaZimbabwa, Neoshipper, Abby215, Renegade Seraph, GeminiGirlz, Leni, Nique and last but not least, Rag Doll! I hope I haven't left anyone out! ^_~ 


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